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“But draw near here, you sons of a sorceress,
    you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes.
Whom do you mock?
    Against whom do you make a wide mouth
    and stick out your tongue?
Aren’t you children of disobedience
    and offspring of falsehood,
you who inflame yourselves among the oaks,
    under every green tree;
who kill the children in the valleys,
    under the clefts of the rocks?
Among the smooth stones of the valley is your portion.
    They, they are your lot.
You have even poured a drink offering to them.
    You have offered an offering.
    Shall I be appeased for these things?
On a high and lofty mountain you have set your bed.
    You also went up there to offer sacrifice.
You have set up your memorial behind the doors and the posts,
    for you have exposed yourself to someone besides me,
    and have gone up.
You have enlarged your bed
    and made you a covenant with them.
    You loved what you saw on their bed.
You went to the king with oil,
    increased your perfumes,
    sent your ambassadors far off,
    and degraded yourself even to Sheol.[a]
10 You were wearied with the length of your ways;
    yet you didn’t say, ‘It is in vain.’
You found a reviving of your strength;
    therefore you weren’t faint.

11 “Whom have you dreaded and feared,
    so that you lie,
    and have not remembered me, nor laid it to your heart?
Haven’t I held my peace for a long time,
    and you don’t fear me?
12 I will declare your righteousness;
    and as for your works, they will not benefit you.
13 When you cry,
    let those whom you have gathered deliver you;
but the wind will take them.
    a breath will carry them all away:
but he who takes refuge in me will possess the land,
    and will inherit my holy mountain.”

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Footnotes

  1. 57:9 Sheol is the place of the dead.

But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the harlot. Against whom do ye sport yourselves? against whom make ye a wide mouth, and put out the tongue? are ye not children of transgression, a seed of falsehood, ye that inflame yourselves [a]among the oaks, under every green tree; that slay the children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks? Among the smooth stones of the valley is thy portion; they, they are thy lot; even to them hast thou poured a drink-offering, thou hast offered [b]an oblation. Shall I be appeased for these things? Upon a high and lofty mountain hast thou set thy bed; thither also wentest thou up to offer sacrifice. And behind the doors and the posts hast thou set up thy memorial: for thou hast uncovered thyself to another than me, and art gone up; thou hast enlarged thy bed, and made thee a covenant with them: thou lovedst their bed where [c]thou sawest it. And thou wentest to the king with oil, and didst increase thy perfumes, and didst send thine ambassadors far off, and didst debase thyself even unto Sheol. 10 Thou wast wearied with the length of thy way; yet saidst thou not, It is in vain: thou didst find [d]a quickening of thy strength; therefore thou wast not [e]faint.

11 And of whom hast thou been afraid and in fear, that thou liest, and hast not remembered me, nor laid it to thy heart? have not I held my peace even of long time, and thou fearest me not? 12 I will declare thy righteousness; and as for thy works, they shall not profit thee. 13 When thou criest, let [f]them that thou hast gathered deliver thee; but the wind shall take them, a breath shall carry them all away: but he that taketh refuge in me shall possess the land, and shall inherit my holy mountain.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 57:5 Or, with idols
  2. Isaiah 57:6 Or, a meal-offering
  3. Isaiah 57:8 Or, thou providedst room for it
  4. Isaiah 57:10 Hebrew the life of thy hand.
  5. Isaiah 57:10 Hebrew sick.
  6. Isaiah 57:13 Or, thy rabble of idols